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LUDOVIC MORLOT AND SEATTLE SYMPHONY GIVE WORLD PREMIERE OF JOHN LUTHER ADAMS’ BECOME DESERT AT BENAROYA HALL MARCH 29 & 31

Press Release:

Monday, 5 March, 2018

"One of the most original musical thinkers of the new century."
— Alex Ross, The New Yorker

SEATTLE SYMPHONY TO PERFORM BECOME DESERT AND BECOME OCEAN AS PART OF RESIDENCY AT CAL PERFORMANCES, UC BERKELEY APRIL 7 AND 8 SPRING TOUR ALSO INCLUDES PERFORMANCES IN PALM DESERT AND LAS VEGAS WITH PIANIST JEREMY DENK, SEATTLE SYMPHONY’S 2017–2018 FEATURED ARTIST

SEATTLE, WA – On the heels of Become Ocean, one of the most successful new works in recent American musical history, the Seattle Symphony has commissioned a second major orchestral work from John Luther Adams, Become Desert. On March 29 and 31, Music Director Ludovic Morlot will lead the orchestra in the world premiere of Become Desert at Benaroya Hall in Seattle as part of the Delta Air Lines Masterworks Season. The following week, the orchestra will embark on a four-concert tour, starting with performances in Palm Desert, California on April 4 and Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 5 with a program of Sibelius’ Second Symphony and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with guest pianist Jeremy Denk, who is also a Seattle Symphony Featured Artist for the 2017–2018 season. The second part of the tour is a residency at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on the music of John Luther Adams and featuring both Become Desert (California premiere) and Become Ocean. Become Desert will be performed on a program with Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 on April 7, and Become Ocean will be performed on a program including The Oceanides and Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes on April 9. The residency will include additional activities on the UC Berkeley campus.